The Department of Transportation has revised upward the amount of cash estimated to operate the state's bus rapid transit system, CTFastrak.
For the past several years and during budget briefings, Transportation Commissioner James Redeker had quoted a $10 million figure but with increased ridership and new routes expanding East of the Connecticut River, the system has taken on extra costs.
In documents provided to NBC Connecticut by the Department of Transportation, Redeker said new routes and services are the major factors that led to the increased cost.
He wrote that any talk of revenues or profits from CTFastrak ridership are premature and those figures should come in in coming months.
Redeker also pointed out that CTFastrak construction projects were 3% under budget.
Gov. Dannel Malloy was asked about the cost overrun for operations on Monday and said any criticism of the busway disregards its success.
"Taking a number from a document that is an old number and then discounting the fact that you’ve increased services substantially, running substantially more buses and running substantially more people than were originally projected at the outset misses the point" Gov. Malloy said.
Mel Davis is one of the more than 16,000 people who use the busway every day to get to and from work. Roughly 11,000 riders were expected to use the service daily.
Davis, who lives in Bristol, said CTFastrak "changed his life."
He added that he supports expansion and that if lawmakers and taxpayers have to figure out a way to pay for more routes, buses, and riders, then it's worth it.
“I think it’s definitely a good thing. I think they need to expand it more. I think more people want to go to more places, so, you know, I hear it on the bus all the time."
